Author: bibncollar

The Federal Government has intensified efforts to activate 112 as Nigeria’s nationwide emergency number, directing key agencies to produce a full operational roadmap and standard operating procedures for endorsement by the National Economic Council. Vice President Kashim Shettima gave the instruction on Tuesday at a meeting on the National Emergency Number 112 Project. He tasked a newly constituted committee drawn from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Communications Commission, National Emergency Management Agency, Federal Road Safety Corps and other relevant bodies to finalise the plans, stressing that decisions must follow global best practices. The National Economic Council had earlier approved 112…

The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, has called for the death penalty or life imprisonment for those who produce and distribute fake regulated products, describing the offenders as “merchants of death”. Adeyeye made the demand while addressing concerns over the circulation of suspected counterfeit and substandard food and other regulated items. She said the NAFDAC Act and the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs Act are under review and that the revised laws should impose the severe sanctions. “The penalties should include death penalty or life imprisonment to people who produce…

A 22-year-old Singaporean man has pleaded guilty in a US court to leading a racketeering conspiracy that stole approximately $245 million (£181 million) in bitcoin through deception and, in some cases, home break-ins. Malone Lam admitted working with associates to target victims, obtain their confidential information and empty their cryptocurrency wallets. The group then laundered the proceeds to fund an extravagant lifestyle of high-end cars, private jets, luxury homes and lavish nights out. US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the case showed authorities’ resolve against large-scale cybercrime. “If you build a cybercrime empire, we will find you, dismantle your operation, and…

German medical experts have started technical engagements with Imo State’s Heartland Hospitals Management Corporation as part of a partnership aimed at improving hospital operations and healthcare delivery. A team from Integromed Germany, led by Managing Director Dr Soliman Ibrahim, was received at the corporation’s headquarters in Owerri by Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Dr Emmanuel Ogueri and other management officials. Discussions covered technical support, specialised training for healthcare workers, medical equipment management and maintenance, fire safety, infection prevention and control, and measures to improve hospital processes. The German delegation and HHMC officials later joined Governor Hope Uzodinma at Heartland…

The Imo State chapter of the Nigeria Democratic Congress has condemned the obstruction and harassment of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, at the Benue State airport on Monday, describing the incident as a direct assault on democracy. In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by State Publicity Secretary Uchechukwu Ayozie, the party said Obi was blocked and harassed from the airport precincts by individuals who barricaded public transit corridors. It characterised the episode as “brazen obstruction and violent intimidation.” State Chairman Barrister Reginald Uwakwe labelled the action “archaic savagery” and “a confession of moral bankruptcy and electoral panic” rather…

A Nigerian migrant who successfully resisted deportation on human rights grounds has been convicted of raping a British teenager in north Wales after dragging her into woods on an isolated path. Gift Oladele, 24, was found guilty of rape and sexual assault at Mold Crown Court in March. The attack took place on 7 September last year as the 19-year-old walked home in Wrexham after a night out. Oladele approached the young woman, now 20, and offered to walk with her, saying he was heading the same way. Near a secluded area he grabbed her by the mouth, forced her…

The Benue State Government has denied any role in an incident in which youths blocked the convoy of Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi in the state on 8 September. Officials said they were unaware that Obi was travelling through Benue and insisted the government does not use thugs. Obi was travelling to Yelewata to visit families of those killed in a June 2025 attack when his convoy was halted by a group of young people at Gyado Villa on Gboko Road. He later returned to Abuja. Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Kula Tersoo, told Punch that the state…

Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu hosted Nigerian Bar Association President Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, and members of the association’s National Executive Committee at Force Headquarters in Abuja on 8 September 2026. Both sides pledged stronger professional collaboration, clearer communication and mutual respect to improve justice delivery and public safety. The NBA president stressed the need for closer working relations between the police and the legal profession. She called for specialised training for lawyers and better links between police lawyers and the wider Bar. Badejo-Okusanya said the association must respond to the needs of its members nationwide and urged an…

Human rights lawyers have written to the Inspector-General of Police demanding the immediate and unconditional release of activist and commentator Onwuka Chimezie, widely known as Mezie. They say he has been held unlawfully at the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Area 10, Abuja, after publicly criticising the Rivers State Police Commissioner. According to the petition from WCE & Co. Chambers/Waynes Court, signed by principal partner Elljah Chifetie Prince Wayne C.E., Esq. and dated 8 September 2026, Mezie was arrested in Abuja on 4 September by officers from the Rivers State Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit. The arrest is linked to…

The head of Nigeria’s data protection regulator has called on advertising agencies to significantly improve compliance with the country’s data protection law, noting that just 12.3 percent currently meet requirements. Speaking at a webinar organised by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, Dr Vincent Olatunji stressed that the industry’s growing reliance on data and artificial intelligence makes privacy safeguards essential. Dr Olatunji, National Commissioner and CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, delivered the keynote address at the ARCON webinar titled “Understanding Data Protection and Its Regulatory Framework: Applicability to the Nigerian Advertising Industry.” ARCON Director-General Dr Olalekan Fadolapo gave…